The term "Keep up with the Jones" - whereas you emulate your neighbors (e. g. they buy a new car, you buy a new car) and is about as individualistic as a worm - was coined in 1913 in New York Times comic strips.
Many Americans do this Keep up with the Jones.
It's obvious whenever a new phone or certain car model is released - so many Americans salivating as if starved for months at the idea of buying a new phone or car just "because" like millions of other salivating Americans.
It is obvious in how Americans so desperately go around emulating celebrities. Each one thinking they are an "individual" when thousands to millions of other Americans are doing the same thing - emulating some dumbass celebrity that does little.
It is obvious in how Americans will repeat the same thing something in the news for example but don't possess the individualizism to be able to debate or converse or talk about that topic intelligently. Rather they were spew out the news or the website again & again as if this proves are intelligent. Or if that doesn't work they'll take to abusing others.
If they were actually able of individualizism they'd be able to debate rationally & intelligently.
So WHY do Americans say they are individualizistic when they're not? British are individualizistic. Germans are individualizistic. Russians even are more individualizistic.
That is why some of the most interesting conversions can be found with a Brit, or German or Russian but you'd very often be bored to tears with an American whose idea of individualizistic response is a 2-year-old's tantrum when you go against their ideas.
